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TO ALL WHOM IT MAY CONCERN: a i

Be it known that I, T. K. REED, of East Bridgewater, in the county of Plymouth,'and State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improvement in ScwingMachines; and I do hereby declare that.the following, when taken in connection with the drawings which accompany and form part of this specification, is ,a description of my invention sufiicient to enable those skilled in, the art to practise it. i

LettersPatent of the United Stateside. 60,241, dated December-4, 1866, have beengrantedito me for an. improvement in sewing machines, such improvement relating to means for adjusting the tension of the shuttle-1 thread while the machine is in operation, such adjustment being efiected by the movement or traverse of the shuttle.

My-pres'ent invention relates tomcansfor regulating the tension of the shnttlc-it ln'ead while the machine is not in operation, but'vvit-hout removing the shuttlc-thread from the machine, these means being preferably connected with or so as to form part ofthe machine. V In my invention I apply to the shuttle a screw-shaft, or other equivalent device, by rotatioir or action of which the pressure upon the thread is increased or diminished, providing this device with a wheel or other means for operating it; and I construct the shuttle-race with alslot opening through it, in the plane of movement of the tension-operating wheel, or other device, so that when the shuttle is brought to a certain fixed point in the race, the tension device shall be directly adjacent or opposite to thisslot, enabling. an instrument to be introduced through the same to operate such device. I prefer, however, to combine with such arrangement or construction, a mechanism forming part of the machine, so cdnstructed and located hat when t fiilmttleis brought to rest, as just mentioned, thismechanism may be thrown into connection with and so as to operate the tensionregulating mechanism of the shuttle to change the tension upon the thread. It is in these peculiarities of construction and arrangement, through which the tension may be adjusted withoutrmoving the shuttle, that my present invention consists. i i

The drawings represent enough of a sewing machine embodying m'y improvement to enable the invention to be clearly understood, A showing such part of the machine partly in plan and partly broken; .3, a crosssection through the tension-screw of the shuttle; G, a reversed plan of the mechanismdirectly connected with the invention. a denotes the table or work-supporting surface; b b, the slides through which access is had to the shuttle; c, the shuttle, traversing in a shuttlcracc, d, by the actionof a shuttle-driver, c, in the usual manner. The shuttle has a screw-shaft supported in bearings, between-which bearings a spur-wheel or 'nut, f, is placed upon the shaft, rotation of this nut impelling the shaft lengthwise and causing a greater or less stress to be exerted by'a C spring on the tension-plate, one end of this spring being fixed to the shaft and the other end connected to the tension-plate. Through the side wall of the shuttle-race is an aperture, g, in the horizontal plane of the reciprocating movement of the wheel or nut f and when the shuttle is brought to rest at some fixed point, (as, for instance, when the driver-"c comes'up to a stop, h,) the wheelf is brought directly opposite to the aperture y, as seen at A and 0. Upon the under side of the. table a is a swing-plate, 2 turning on a pin, Ir, and having on. its front end a bearing fora vertical shaft, which carries at its top a gear or spur-wheel,

l, and at its lower end a finger-wheel, m, by turning which the wheel l is rotated." This wheel is situated directly opposite the opening 37, and is normally held back from said opening by the action of a spring, n. When the shuttle is brought to a stop, as above set forth, by pressing the finger-wheel towards the shuttle-race, the spur or gear-wheel lis thrown into connection with the teeth on the nut f, so that by rotating the finger-wheel the nut is turned and the pressure upon the thread increased or diminished, according to the direction in which the nut is rotated, When the finger-wheel is released the-spring n carries the whocl l back from the shuttlerace to its normal position. i i i Now, it will be readily understood that the specific arrangement and construction of the devices shown may 7 be varied to suit the many styles and kinds of shuttles or machines in use, in each case, however, an aperture being made through one of the plates, within which the shuttle reciprocates, in such manner as will permit the introduction of some device, by which, when the shuttleis brought to some fixed point, a connection may he inadc between said device and the tension-changing device upon the shuttle to change the strcss exerted upon the shnttle thrcad.

is at rest, and be made toonem'te such tension mechanism; snbstciltiolly as eel: forth.

I claim, in combixiationwitl; deeming-machine shuttle-race, an' operturc or piovision for insertion of an instrument or device through one of'tlxe wnlls'or plates thereof, so that when -tl1e shuttle is brought to rest at a.

fixed position, connection can be madclmbween suelrinstrument or device and, the tension mechanism of the shuttle, and the stress upon tlneshuigtld-thread may be regulated-by sucli connection, substantially as described.

I also claim combining witli each provision a device fixed to or forming part oftheme-chine,v aqd so located phat it may be thrown into and out of conneclsion'witll the tezi lo'n mechanism of t he shuttle when the shuttle T'. K. REED.

Witness'esz I J. B. CROSBY,

F. GOULD. 

